Kei of Light
by tamaritha
Summary: This is something I totally made up - A fire priestess named Kei comes from the future, to kill a demon that was unleashed through the gates of time from Crystal Tokyo...
1. Prologue

Kei of Light - An Incomplete Sailor Moon Fanfic.  
  
  
  
1 Prologue  
  
It was going to be a very beautiful spring morning when I entered the shrine. I kneeled down for a moment before the fire, then started the usual shrine-keeping routine: airing the shrine, sweeping and wiping the floorboards with a cloth, and finally, getting new cherrywood for the fire.  
  
Cherry blossoms were abundant on the branches I carried into the shrine and arranged upon the flames. The petals that fell upon the polished floor when I carried the branches in were everywhere. My worries were soon put to rest when they were picked up in a breeze and whirled into the fire, leaping and twisting like a graceful dancer.  
  
I looked out to the sky. The morning was still grey, and the sun had not risen yet. I closed the doors and shut the windows.  
  
The sacred flames glowed in the comforting darkness, warming up the chill air.  
  
Something within the flames made me jump. I can sense something - who could it be? The flames are leaping in expectation of someone. My head turns to the door. It slid open, and a young lady stepped in. The ray of light from the rising sun showed my face to her, and she stepped back in surprise.  
  
"Who…Who are you? What are you doing here…?"  
  
I am surprised too, and my mouth hung open. Why, she looks just like …Then she must remember me…Right?  
  
"My Lady doesn't remember … me?" I whisper. I want to cry, but I must not, at least within the shrine.  
  
She gazes at me, confused and surprised at the same time.  
  
I realise in a flash: She does not know me yet. What a stupid girl I am!  
  
"My name is Kei. Moeru Kei. I…I am sorry about this…" I apologised.  
  
"Well good morning Miss Moeru, and what business brings you here?"  
  
"Please, just call me Kei, if that's fine with you. And I was doing the morning chores in the shrine."  
  
"Okay, Kei. About why you are here, I won't question you any more - in fact, you have done quite a good job!" She smiled as she looked around the shrine.  
  
"Well thank you. It was not much really, you seem to keep it so tidy, I really had nothing much to do, and even that, the wind did half of my work…"  
  
She waved her hand dismissively. "Ah, no more worries on that subject, kiddo. And by the way, my name is Rei. Don't worry about my surname - I don't want you to call me Miss so and so either."  
  
Then she frowned. "I don't remember seeing you around the neighborhood, kid - where are you from? Who are your parents? They must be worried about you by now."  
  
I gulp. She doesn't know about this either?  
  
"I don't have any parents. I am an orphan." I said, as I shuffled my feet.  
  
Rei frowned again. " C'mon, there has to be someone looking after you… You're only about, like, nine?"  
  
The flames crackled, and I saw Rei's eyes flicker for one moment.  
  
"Are you by any chance from another time…?"  
  
I nodded. "You sent me here. From the future."  
  
Rei's eyes widened. "Wow…Neat. So you were my favourite bodyguard or something?"  
  
I was quite surprised too. How much does she not know?  
  
"No, I was one of your priestesses, sent here to prevent a danger."  
  
"And how am I to trust that you're not from the…"  
  
"And how are you to trust that little Usagi's not from there?" I cut in. In fact, I was getting impatient.  
  
"Look there's no point arguing, Let's go to my friends, and we'll sort this out," and Rei tugged me by the hand.  
  
As I was dragged along, I asked her: "How come your friends are out of school? I believe today's the second week of the second term."  
  
Rei turned to face me, still dragging me along. "Oh don't worry about it. A lot of strange things have been happening in Tokyo and schools in this district closed."  
  
"Like what things?" I asked. Could it really be…?  
  
"Nothing! Just follow me!" Rei yelled as she dragged me through the strangely empty streets, into an apartment. 


	2. Chapter 1

1 Chapter 1: No Point Arguing  
  
  
  
Rei thought hard as she dragged the kid on. Strange child - she already felt familiar, like they were old friends.  
  
Thanking her lucky stars that she had an emergency meeting with the others today to do something about the strange things, Rei kept questioning the child.  
  
"What is your age? Do you like the colour red? I hope you like reading - we've only got books at the place we are going to."  
  
Kei seemed bewildered at the questions and the rapid manner of them being addressed, but responded like a sensible person.  
  
"I am not more than ten, and less than six. In fact, my age is immaterial - it got mixed up in the portal. I love the colour red - it makes me feel alive. Also, I like reading, playing chess, cooking and sleeping - in fact, I like pretty much everything."  
  
Rei was slightly confused, but nodded anyway. Strange way of talking for a child, she noted.  
  
They were just crossing the strangely empty streets, up to Minako's apartment.  
  
Not many people were around, and those who were walked fast and in fear of danger. Probably because of the events that happened yesterday, Rei thought.  
  
"Why aren't there so many people?" Kei asked. Rei thought for a while before answering her.  
  
"I don't know, probably they are staying in their homes, afraid of what's been happening."  
  
"Could you tell me some of it? I need to know if what I am looking for has caused it."  
  
Rei thought a while again then shook her head. She probably doesn't know what she is after, Rei thought.  
  
"It's nothing you should know about. You're just a child after all..."  
  
"I am not just a child! I am only two or three years younger than you, and I didn't abandon my adult body in coming here so that I can play on the swings or something! That's being childish! I came here with a very adult mission!"  
  
Rei groaned. This child was every inch as bratty as Chibi-Usa and smarter than she was too.  
  
"And why are you groaning? Are you comparing me to Usagi? Well you shouldn't, because I am DIFFERENT from that bratty kid!"  
  
If Rei had the time, she would have thumped her head against a wall or a lamppost. But there was no time. What if those things realized another being from the future came here, and started...  
  
Rei turned upon Kei. "Look Kei, don't be such a brat, just follow me QUIETLY!!!"  
  
The air before them split and a flash of green light enveloped them.  
  
Rei gave a shriek, and threw her arms around Kei to protect her as a monstrous-looking creature with tentacles that looked like scorpion's tails shot out of the "gap" in the air.  
  
Kei extracted herself from Rei's grasp, and yelled at Rei.  
  
"Go on! Transform yourself into Sailor Mars!"  
  
Rei was surprised. How did she know this?  
  
"I am not Sailor Mars, or whatever you are talking about!"  
  
Kei was furious.  
  
"Fine if you want to make it that way, I am transforming!"  
  
Kei stepped up, holding her pendant in her fingers. Rei did not notice the pendant before; it was hanging off a delicate gold chain, and glowed in the deepest hues of red.  
  
Rubyfire Power-Up!  
  
A bright flash of light enveloped Kei, instantly changing her dress. She was now wearing a sleeveless dress, made of white material, and circlets of red crystals were around her wrists and waist.  
  
The pendant was no longer hanging from her neck, but had formed a tiara around her head.  
  
It is just a Krakner, a creature summoned by a charm. I can fight this off easily.  
  
A paper charm had formed upon her fingers, and Kei held it up. The charm flew out of her hand, and pierced through the monster.  
  
Instantly, the scorpion-tail tentacles wrapped its body, and the stingers dug deep into its chest.  
  
The monster twisted in agony, then fell, only leaving a torn charm that blew amid the clouds of dust it created as it fell.  
  
Kei closed her eyes, letting her robe turn back to ordinary clothes. When her shoes had turned back to normal, she opened her eyes and smiled.  
  
Rei was bewildered. First this child pops out of nowhere, cleaning up the shrine, Now she fights a demon all by herself, and she could only be like, nine?  
  
"Wow...You were...great..."  
  
Kei blushed. "No I wasn't, I just...knew how to defeat this one. It's just a Krakner, as I told you."  
  
"What is a Krakner?"  
  
"It is a monster that is summoned by a paper charm. While summoned, it sucks energy out of its tentacles and transfers them to its summoner."  
  
"I see," Rei muttered. This girl was a mystery in every way. Already, she had made Rei feel like a child. Rei thought about her transformed figure...  
  
The beautiful, strange voice that delivered its message directly to her mind, yet did not echo in the air... The way she defeated a monster with a single charm, while she and the others took ages to defeat one last night...  
  
Kei examined Rei's face.  
  
"Are you alright, Rei?"  
  
Rei shook the thought out of her head. "Yeah I suppose so."  
  
"Then let's go to the place you are taking me to."  
  
Rei nodded, and they walked silently for some minutes.  
  
Finally, Rei turned upon Kei. "Hey, what was the charm you used to defeat it?"  
  
Kei smiled. "Oh it's just a small charm...it says: "to bind yourself with your own rope."  
  
"...???..."  
  
"You can only use it if it has been creating enough trouble for a backfire to be fatal. Of course it was dangerous to assume that it indeed had been creating enough trouble."  
  
They Kei quickly changed the subject. "You know what? In Crystal Tokyo, This street has a fountain in the middle, and I used to play there, looking at rainbow-coloured fish..."  
  
Rei absently nodded as she dragged Kei up the stairs, into the corridor where Minako's apartment was. She pressed the bell.  
  
"Look this is my friend's apartment - behave yourself and act like a kid alright?"  
  
Kei nodded. "I sure can – done that kinda thing before."  
  
Rei groaned. "That includes using proper words and not acting like some intergalatic smartarse."  
  
* * *  
  
"More curry anyone?"  
  
Usagi screwed up her face. It had only been days since she had to cook it at Mamoru's place, because of that brat Chibi-Usa.  
  
Minako giggled. "I don't think she likes it." Then turning to Rei, Minako asked her some things about sandals, which nobody quite understood, apart from the fact that the heels of the newest range were too flat for Usagi to wear and look tall.  
  
It seemed Rei understood at least part of the sandal conversation, but did not respond to it, and just tapped her finger upon the table.  
  
Usagi noticed this, and tapped Rei upon the shoulder. "Jesus stop worrying about that Kei - girl, Rei. She's just another bratty child, that's all. You know, just treat her like the way you treat me, and the girl will just waste away…"  
  
"Shut up, meatballhead." Rei muttered absently as she continued tapping upon the table.  
  
Umi shook her head slowly. " It cannot be true. The same monster that took all five of us all night to fight off can wither away, killing itself just because of a suicide charm made of filmsy paper. You sure you weren't imagining it, Rei?"  
  
"I wasn't! Why don't you two bloody ask her? Plus, the flames know her! Otherwise, she could not have entered the shrine with such power in her body!"  
  
"Whoa, calm down, Rei, and relax…Just like me…" Minako yawned and stretched, and for the first time everyone noticed her face was covered in some kind of white mud pack.  
  
"Eh…what is that gunk on your face?" Umi asked. "You know that those massage packs have been scientifically proved that they do not have any long-term effects, right? I told you about it every day…I suppose that is some newfangled product too, why did you spend your whole week's pocket money buying it? Plus, your face is satisfactorily porous…"  
  
Everyone just groaned, listening to Umi going on and on about how women are cheated by "science" in cosmetics and beauty products.  
  
"…Therefore there is no immediate need for someone like you to buy them, especially now when your skin is at the most sensitive stage…"  
  
"ARGH BY THE NAME OF THE SACRED FLAMES, CAN ANYONE PLEASE MAKE HER STOP TALKING ABOUT FACIALS?"  
  
Everyone turned to stare at the direction of the sound, and saw Kei, trembling pink and white, a book in her hand.  
  
Rei felt herself go red. Why did she have to act un-childish here?! At this moment too!  
  
Umi stammered gibberish for a few moments, then decided to directly attack her.  
  
"Kei, that was not ladylike. How dare you, a child, interrupt me?"  
  
Kei was defiant. "Was the conversation that important?"  
  
Umi opened her mouth. "The conversational topic is immaterial – we talk what we like, after all, since we are all friends."  
  
Minako nodded convincingly enough, and Usagi decided to use this chance to attack Rei.  
  
"Rei you silly girl, how DID you manage to set that durned brat against us? Did you just bring her here to criticize Umi? Don't you have enough entertainment already with criticizing me?"  
  
After this, Usagi broke out on a hearty sob and leant upon the back of her chair, generally faking a crying scene. All the others stood red-faced. Kei stood there, sniggering.  
  
"…and nowadays, Moeru doesn't pay attention to me…That stupid brat turned my rood upside down AGAIN to look for that durned Silver Crystal…"  
  
"And let me say the next line, Usagi," Kei interrupted. "…then you had to cook that yucky carrots in that curry too, and Mamoru's love is waning and coming back fewer and fewer times…"  
  
Usagi sat up and blinked, forgetting that she was meant to be crying and making a scene. "Ok how did you know THAT, brat?"  
  
Kei sighed. A serene, knowing smile was upon her face this time.  
  
"Heard it in a time long, long ago, yet long, long to come."  
  
Turning to Rei, Kei resumed her childish face. "Can we go and get ice- creams now Rei? You promised me a double chocolate chip…"  
  
Minako smiled. "I have a weakness for choc chip everything too. Could I go with you?"  
  
"Not in that face." Rei answered, then turned to what looked a brown mop.  
  
"You've been quiet all day…Are you coming too?"  
  
Surprisingly, the mop answered. "Yea I think so…But not in this hair – is that what you're about to say?"  
  
Kei jumped. "Oh my gosh! A mop just talked!"  
  
Rei sighed. "She's my friend, Kei. I only introduced you to her an hour ago. I told you, she is having a bad hair day, and you had better to be more gracious to her than that."  
  
"So what's her name again?"  
  
"Yea good point, Kei. So what was her name again?" Usagi asked Rei with a snigger in her voice.  
  
Rei sighed.  
  
"Here we go again…" 


End file.
